Black History Month 2021

Black History Month coincides The British Textile Biennial (BTB21), which this year tells the story of textiles, across continents and centuries, in the service of fast fashion, expression and identity. BTB21 turns its attention to the global nature of textiles and the relationships they create, both historically and now. Highlights include Lost Threads, a major new commission by Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid. 

Creative Lancashire will be presenting a series of Conversations in Creativity talks, podcast series and related publication to further explore the themes responded to by artists & makers contributing to the British Textile Biennial programme.

POWER, DRESS & SPIRITUALITY
with Lorene Rhoomes
1.30pm Sat 23 October - Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington
Lorene Rhoomes, designer behind Akhu Designs, shares her passion for West African textiles, looking at its vital role in the region covering adornment, rites of passage, textiles design and dress. On the same day, Lorene also presents opportunities to participate in head wrap workshops (11.30 & 1.30pm - see BTB21 website for details). FREE
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BREAKING DOWN BORDERS:  Movement & Migration Through Cloth 
with Alice Kettle, Bharti Parmar, Raisa Kabir, Serkan Delice & hosted by Amber Butchart
6pm Monday 25 October - Blackburn Cathedral
This panel explores the narratives and intersections that connect migrant journeys through the global textile industry and perspectives on cultural appropriation within crafts practices. FREE
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WOKE DENIM: Style, Protest & Self-Expression - from MLK to BLM
with Calumn Bane, Jamie Holman, Tiwirayi Ndoro & Tunde Adekoya
2pm Tuesday 26 October - Blackburn Cathedral
This extended round table event explores how denim and style more broadly features prominently in cultural and political movements for change throughout the twentieth century to the current. The session takes inspiration from the work of Tiwirayi Ndoro who was commissioned by Creative Lancashire and British Textile Biennial to create a conscious photo series tracing the relevance of denim and style as a means of self-expression and protest - from black civil rights movement of the 60's to current day activism and Black Lives Matter. Tiwi co-chairs the discussion which will explore these themes from a Gen Z perspective.
"The project draws focus on young people, a generation of activists who refuse to say yes to injustice but demand to be heard not just in towns and cities but on a global scale" FREE
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POLITICS, POWER & PRODUCTION: The Global Impact of Denim 
with Craig Oldham, Harris Elliot, Sophie Woodward, Tiwirayi Ndoro & hosted by Amber Butchart
6pm Tues 26 October - Blackburn Cathedral
From the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s, to climate action and social justice today, denim clad people of all ages demanding change is a constant. Our expert panel consider denim’s role in grass-roots movements, counterculture, protest, and how citizens worldwide are impacted by the global story of denim production. FREE
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CLOTH CONNECTIONS: The Colonial Impacts on Material Cultures of the African Diaspora
with Cheyney McKnight, Elli Michaela Young & hosted by Teleica Kirkland
6pm Thurs 28 October 2021 (Online)
Teleica leads this discussion with Cheyney McKnight, founder of Not Your Momma’s History who acts as an interpreter advocate for interpreters of colour via the art of creative re-enactments, using her clothing and primary sources to make connections between past and present, and Eli Michaela Young, currently completing her PhD on the Jamaican Fashion Guild exploring the use of cotton in the clothing of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean. FREE
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TIWIRAYI NDORO - WOKE DENIM PROJECT (Exhibition)
1-31 October - Blackburn Mall
The Woke Denim project is a Conscious photo series about the modern-day fight for civil rights following the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. The project draws focus on young people, a generation of activists who refuse to say yes to injustice but demand to be heard not just in towns and cities but on a global scale with the help of modern-day technology. Woke Denim explores the similarities between the boomers who lead the 60’s civil rights movement and Gen Z who were the driving force behind Black Lives Matter in 2020 while still drawing focus to how symbolic Denim truly is to the cause.
Tiwirayi Ndoro is a Fashion photographer and Stylist, she is also the winner of the 2020 UCLan Fashion and Textiles award from Creative Lancashire. Tiwirayi’s work is very much an expression of her experience, being a Black British woman while still embracing her Zimbabwean heritage. FREE
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LUBAINA HIMID – LOST THREADS (Exhibition)
1—31 October - Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham
Cascading through the structure of Gawthorpe Hall’s Great Barn, 400 metres of Dutch Wax fabric reflect the movement of oceans and rivers that have been used to transport cotton across the planet and over centuries. Waterways historically carried raw cotton, spun yarn, and woven textiles from continent to continent, as well as enslaved people from Africa to pick raw cotton in the southern states of America or workers who migrated from South Asia to operate looms here in East Lancashire. In this major new installation, Turner-prize winning artist, Lubaina Himid, continues her life-long exploration into the making of clothing and histories of colonisation, female labour, migration and globalisation. Although recognised as ‘African’ cloth, these textiles have a complex lineage and identity that reflects an historic and continuing flow of labour, trade and money. FREE
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